888 spring change

hallo! i have the 2012 888 rc3 v2 ti, and will change the ti 5.5 standard spring with a steel 6.5 firm spring (i am 81kg - 178lb, so i guess it is a right decision, as the fork feels very soft, with little mid travel support and divey in braking)

i want to ask 2 things:

1. is the firm spring the right choice? many say that the firm is perfect for weights 75-90kg, others say that with the firm spring, the fork loses its small bump sensitivity and silkiness and becomes hard for the wrists/hands. feedback please :coo:

2. do you put around the spring a shrink wrap or a heat shrink?
i read it is necessary in order to avoid the clank in the fork leg.

thanks!!

I'd personally work on the damping charicteristiscs of the fork before changing springs.

…and ironically,i hear 888's suck for freeriding.

What percentage of sag are you getting now? If its under 30% with relatively little preload, I would mess with damper settings and oil heights. If you need to max out the preload, I would get the spring.

the sag is perfect, about 5.5-6cm in slightly inclined terrain, that would be 28-30%, with little preload.

what concerns me, is not sag, but:

1. little mid travel support (eg, in berms)
2. divey in braking situations
3. divey in very steep terrain

i want to improve the above characteristics, BUT don't want to lose that superior small bump silkiness the fork has!! (it is really amazing)

i messed a lot with the compression adjuster, and with 6 clicks towards hard, i get more support and keep the fork away from being harsh. The support is not enough though.

If i put more oil in the spring side, i don't achieve what i want, cause it affects only about the last 25% of travel.

talk to Alex at Marz. I don't think the spring is your problem. At your weight that spring should be fine. the heavy spring is for really big dudes and rampage type stuff. I had sort off the same thing going on with mine, they removed the air volume adjust feature, retuned and it never felt better.

the heavy spring is for really big dudes

you probably mean the extra firm spring 7.7, not the firm 6.5.

the standard 5.5 spring is meant to be for weights 65-80kg and the firm 6.5 for 80-95kg. what is your weight? are you sure you have the standard spring?

did they change the shim stack, in your fork? or add oil in the spring side?

do you have a mail for alex?

http://www.avalanchedownhillracing.com/20%20mm%20Cartridge.html

do not have an E mail for Alex. Just call Marz in N Van.

hallo! i have the 2012 888 rc3 v2 ti, and will change the ti 5.5 standard spring with a steel 6.5 firm spring (i am 81kg - 178lb, so i guess it is a right decision, as the fork feels very soft, with little mid travel support and divey in braking)

i want to ask 2 things:

1. is the firm spring the right choice? many say that the firm is perfect for weights 75-90kg, others say that with the firm spring, the fork loses its small bump sensitivity and silkiness and becomes hard for the wrists/hands. feedback please :coo:

2. do you put around the spring a shrink wrap or a heat shrink?
i read it is necessary in order to avoid the clank in the fork leg.

thanks!!

I'm around your weight, same fork, and run the 6.5 steel spring. I'd say that's a good bet for your weight. I also had the VA removed and run substantially higher oil heights than stock. Reason being that I want the fork spring curve to be as progressive as the linkage on the Aurum I ride. What compression, rebound, preload and VA settings are you running? I personally run 3-4 clicks from fully open compression, rebound to taste, no preload, and VA delete. I also have an air cap installed on the spring leg that allows me to increase and decrease the spring curve ramp depending on the steepness of the track I'm on. The stiffer spring obviously increases the spring rate, but shouldn't "ruin" the small bump sensitivity.